Bonds That Break
by Jaycee2
Summary: Integral is getting married, Seras is heartbroken and leaves, how will the two live their lives away from each other? Can Seras really break the bonds around her heart? IxOC(m), SxOC(f), eventual IxS
1. such a fragile and senseless thing

Title: Bonds That Break (1/?)  
Author: Jaycee  
Rating: PG (for now, if it goes up I'll change the rating accordingly)  
Pairing: Integral/OC(male), Seras/OC(female), future Integral/Seras  
Summary: Integral is getting married, Seras is heartbroken and leaves, how will the two live their lives away from each other? Can Seras really break the bonds around her heart?  
Disclaimer: You all know the drill. I don't own Hellsing, Kohta Hirano does. I make no money off of this. I do, however, own the characters of William Hertford Gentry (later on to be known as William Hertford Gentry-Hellsing). Any other original characters to show up (can't name them now, spoilers) are also mine and will be stated as such beforehand. Please do not use without permission (not that you would, I'm not that good of an author).  
A/N: This is the first Hellsing fic I've written in ages. I hope it doesn't suck too badly. My apologies if it does.  
Feedback: I'd appreciate it, but don't feel obligated. I can live without it. But I'd much rather have it.  
Etc.: Looking for a beta! Anyone interested, please contact me at wayfaringpanda at hotmail dot com

* * *

The first thing Seras heard when she woke up that night was the cheers.

She hit the button to raise the lid of her coffin and sat up, frowning slightly at the noise even a human could hear drifting through the stonework. What was going on? She thought back, trying to think if there had been any mention of a national holiday or something today.

She quickly shed the overlarge t-shirt she wore, her now-common bed attire. She pulled a fresh uniform from her closet and put it on. Running her fingers quickly through her hair, she pulled her door open and headed towards the main floor of the mansion.

There she found a fairly large portion of the troops milling around, quite obviously drunk or well on the way there and having a great time. She spotted her commander, a young man named Deitrich transferred from D11 to replace Fergesson.

"Excuse me," she said, stopping in front of him.

"Ah, Victoria," the man said, beaming down at her. "Come to join the festivities?" He raised his glass, which sparkled with what looked like champagne.

"Festivities for what?" she asked, but another soldier had already come over and started talking, rather drunkenly, to the commander. She heaved a sigh and left in search of someone able to talk to her.

"I wonder whether Sir Hellsing knows about this?" she mused as she elbowed her way through the crowd towards the stairs. The stern woman must - she wouldn't have allowed such chaos to continue if she didn't approve of it. Maybe she was in her office?

Seras had just reached the first few steps when she heard Commander Deitrich's voice rise up.

"Oi! Quiet down, you lot!" he hollered. After a few moments, everyone was silent, staring at him with expectation. Once he felt he had their attention, he turned to look at the far corner.

Seras followed his gaze, and was surprised to see Sir Hellsing standing there, a glass of champagne in her hand and talking with a gentleman Seras recognized as Sir William Gentry. He was a lesser-known noble who was apparently one of Sir Hellsing's few childhood friends. She'd seen him once or twice around the manor in her two years span of time here. She wondered what he was doing here.

"On behalf of all of the Hellsing troops, we wish to congratulate Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing and Sir William Hertford Gentry on their engagement! Bloody good show, you two!"

The cheers from the crowd would have covered any exclamation Seras could make, had she been able to do anything other than sit down suddenly on the stairs with a thud.

* * *

Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing sat in her office, smoking a cigarillo and staring at the engagement ring on her finger.

She hadn't been expecting William to propose. Sure, she knew that he fancied her, if only a bit, and he had asked her out plenty of times. She'd even gone on a couple of dates with him. But she'd never shown him any real interest. He just... wasn't her type. She loved him as much as a friend could, but she knew she couldn't give him what he really wanted - her heart.

But apparently that hadn't mattered. When they'd gone out to dinner two nights beforehand, he'd taken her on a walk through the better parts of London. When they reached London Bridge, he had gotten down on one knee and proposed.

"I know that your heart belongs to your work," he had said. "And I know that you can never really love me the way that I love you. But I want to marry you anyway. I have loved you for a long time, and I know that I can make this marriage work. Please, Integra, won't you have me?"

She knew that she had been silent for a long time after that. But in the end, she had agreed. After all, she knew the chances of her finding another nobleman she could stand to spend the rest of her life with was at best close to nothing. She knew William would understand about her work, as well, and that any child they had would be loved by him and cared for. The queen had sent her approval the very next day - apparently he had approached her with the idea first.

All in all, she felt she had made the right choice.

She looked up from her contemplation at the sound of a knock on the door. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Seras. "Victoria," Integral greeted her with a slight nod. Since the whole incident with Incognito, she'd been a little more respectful of Seras' obvious devotion to herself and to Hellsing. She sometimes felt that the young vampire was more loyal than Alucard. Especially since Seras was no longer bound to Alucard, and therefore to herself. The girl had finally partaken of Alucard's blood two months previously, and the increase in her strength was already apparent. She'd even gotten Alucard to say that for a fledgling, she wasn't half bad.

"What can I do for you?" Integral asked as she reached for another cigarillo. It was a bad habit she knew she would have to end soon - William despised them, and were she to get pregnant than he would force her to quit. Not that she didn't agree with him on that matter, but it would be tough.

Seras looked at the floor, obviously nervous. She took a deep breath, then stepped to attention, her blood-red eyes catching and holding Integral's. "I, Senior Officer Seras Victoria, am tendering my resignation."

Integral choked on the smoke. "Wh-what?"

"I have already left my weapons and badge with Commander Deitrich," Seras said, her voice wavering slightly but her gaze steady. "As I have no personal effects in the Manor, I don't need any time to clear out my room."

"What makes you think you can just resign, Victoria?" Integral asked, rising in anger. Her hands gripped the edge of the desk tightly, her knuckles white from the effort.

Seras flinched slightly, but held firm. "I am not bound to you, Sir Hellsing. I am not forced to remain as my former master is. I am resigning just as any other member of your force can resign."

"You are not any other member of my force!" Integral shouted, her ice-blue eyes flashing. "In case you've forgotten, girl, you are a vampire!"

"I know that!" Seras said, her own temper rising, surprising Sir Hellsing. She'd never been on the receiving end of the young vampire's anger before. "I am quite aware of what I am, you all in this place have made sure I can never forget it, not even for a moment. You all have forced me to accept what I am, and I have. And now I want out."

"We'll be forced to hunt you down," the commanding figure said, her rage held tightly in check. She wanted nothing more than to go over there and shake Seras' senses back into her.

"I don't care," Seras replied. "I'm not sticking around London anyway. Bugger that." She saluted Integral, every bit military, spun around on her heel and headed towards the door.

"Oh, and congratulations on your engagement," Seras said, her voice containing just a bit of bitterness. She closed the door behind her firmly.

Integral stood there for a moment, her mind whirling with the effort to process just exactly what had happened. With a snarl, she picked up her ashtray and whirled around, hurling it at the wall with such force that it shattered.

"ALUCARD!"

* * *

He knew the instant his Master called his name that she was furious. No, blind with rage was a more accurate term. He left his prowling in the basement and quickly materialized in her office. A quick scan of his Master's mind told him what had just happened. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment, then started to laugh.

"What in the name of all that is holy is so funny?" Sir Integra snarled at him, her entire body taught with her anger. "Did you know about this? Did you tell her to do this?"

"No, my Master, I did not," he said, still chuckling slightly. "Although I am not very surprised."

"Oh? And why is that?" she asked tightly.

Alucard smirked. "Any woman in her situation would."

Sir Integra slammed her hand onto her desk in frustration. "What in blazes are you going on about?"

"The heart is such a fragile and senseless thing," he simply replied with a toothy grin. "Orders, my Master."

"Find her," Sir Integra said. "Bring her back or destroy her."

"I cannot," he said. "I am bound by rules far more ancient than my seals in this matter. I cannot take my childe's unlife anymore than she can take mine."

Sir Integra twitched. "And what, pray tell, would happen if you did?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm.

"I would lose the portion of my power that is connected to her, and would incur the retribution of all ancient vampires in England. It is an ancient code, Sir Integra, one that many would take great offense to my breaking." Alucard reveled in this disobedience of his Master. It so rarely happened that the seals were super-ceded, but the magic that held his body to the Hellsing family recognized the older bond.

Sir Integra seethed for a moment. "You might have mentioned that earlier. What if she had gone berserk and none of the troops could stop her?"

"There are, of course, exceptions to rules. This, however, is not one of them. Until she loses control of herself, I can't do anything."

"Then bring her back, I don't care how."

Alucard sent a searching thread of thought out, trying to locate his childe. Ever since she had taken his blood, his ability to sense her had started to fade, but the connection had yet to completely evaporate. He found her a surprising distance away. He was practically rocked from the force with which she cut him off, leaving him with a vehement request to leave her the bloody hell alone.

"She's already leaving England, Sir Integra," he responded. "I believe she's on a ship as we speak, although it hasn't left the dock yet."

Sir Integra looked as if she wanted to throw something. From the looks of her ashtray on the floor, she already had. "How is that POSSIBLE?" she cried out in frustration. "You lot can't cross running water without prior arrangements."

Alucard laughed. "Seras has made friends with many of the benign vampires in the area as of late. I imagine she simply contacted someone who could set this up as quickly as possible. I can still go after her, although I can't guarantee I'll get to the ship in time." He knew that his Master was thinking of the type of trouble she would get into if she sent him across the English-Protestant border.

"Get out," she said finally, turning her back to him.

The vampire bowed to her and stepped back, into the shadows, blending in with them. He watched her for a moment.

Sir Integra fished for another cigarillo, her hands shaking slightly. Suddenly, without warning, she started throwing everything in sight, cursing loudly as things shattered and tore.

He'd better go find Walter to tell him that housekeeping was going to have quite a lot of work ahead of them.

_end chapter one_


	2. a rose by any other name

Title: Bonds That Break (2/?)  
Author: Jaycee  
A/N: I own Sheilah. Don't steel her! :)  
See Part 1 for other disclaimers

* * *

"You look good enough to eat, my Master."

Integral didn't look up from where she sat, meticulously brushing her hair. "I'm sure you think that all the time, bloodsucker," she responded casually.

Alucard faded into view. He had exchanged his usual red coat for a black tuxedo jacket, and his hat was nowhere to be seen. His black hair hung in his face, framing the pale skin and setting his blood-red eyes off. "But I have never seen you dressed this way before," he replied, his trademark smirk gracing his lips.

Integral was dressed in a tasteful white gown, ivory silk setting off her naturally dark skin exquisitely. She had flatly refused to wear the traditional frills that went with a wedding gown, and in the end her wedding planner had caved. It may have helped that Walter had let slip that the woman was likely to force Sir Hellsing to change her mind about wearing a suit to her own wedding.

"You're looking quite dapper yourself, Alucard," she replied. "Why are you here? Come to offer your blood one final time before I'm forever out of your reach?"

The vampire grinned. "You've been out of my reach for longer than you realize. No, I come to give you a gift from one who couldn't be here." With that, he set a red rose down on the stand next to her with a flourish, and vanished.

Integral frowned at the empty space where he had stood. She reached over and picked up the rose. A small card was attached with a string.

_Best Wishes._

_S._

Integral jumped slightly as she felt a thorn prick her finger. She quickly set the rose down and grabbed a handkerchief, wrapping it around the injury before the welling blood could spill onto her dress. She gingerly picked it up again with her other hand, wary of the thorns this time.

It had been little over a year since Seras had disappeared. She had disconcerted the troops with her angry order to silence the young vampire if spotted, and it had taken some serious discussions with Walter and Commander Deitrich before she would give in enough to simply say that she was to be contacted immediately if the former officer were seen. It had taken her by surprise to see how many of her troops liked the girl - she had assumed that Seras was as much of an outsider as Alucard or herself was.

However, in the end, it hadn't mattered. No one had spotted Seras. The vampire wasn't in England, and apparently she wasn't going to return anytime soon.

Integral had stopped asking Alucard why Seras had left. He continued to be as vague and enigmatic on the subject as ever, at one point even going so far as to say it wasn't his place to tell her. She had gathered that Seras had fancied someone, and that they had refused her, but when she'd brought that up to the ancient vampire he'd just laughed even harder and vanished.

A knock on the door broke her revelry. It opened to reveal her wedding planner and her hairdresser. With a sigh, Integral set the rose down on the stand and prepared herself to be pampered and primped within an inch of her patience.

* * *

Seras stood on the hillside, gazing out over the ocean. The full moon made the waters sparkle with silver, lighting up the beach below as if it were a faery world. She didn't move as she felt the presence of a vampire materialize behind her.

"I thought I might find you here," came the soft, feminine voice as a woman, appearing to be only in her mid-twenties, stepped up next to Seras to watch the ocean with her. "Gazing towards England again?" Her voice only held a slight French accent, betraying her country of origin.

The young vampire nodded. "Master told me it was tonight. I... I couldn't stay inside. I'm sorry I missed our lesson, Sheilah."

Sheilah gave a small sigh and came over to Seras, wrapping her arms around the girl from behind while resting her chin on her shoulder. "I understand, ma cherie. The strings around your heart are still tightly held by that woman."

"I wish I could give you more," Seras said, feeling herself start to choke up. "I don't understand. It's been over a year."

"You are a vampire, Seras," Sheilah said as she held the younger woman to her tightly. "As you shall exist for a long time, your emotions shall as well. Once a vampire gives it's love, it can never truly take it back again. I do not want more than you can give me - I am content with how we are." She kissed her lover on the ear. "Maybe in the future, when the world as we know it has gone and that woman is no longer around, I can claim your heart."

"Thank you for helping me with the rose," the younger vampire said.

Sheilah smiled. "I promise you, as long as you love her and as long as she keeps it, the flower will never fade." There was no bitterness in her voice in having helped prepare the gift - she knew that in the long run, Sir Hellsing would die and Seras would remain to be hers.

Tears of blood started to trail down Seras' cheeks. "It hurts, Sheilah," she whispered, and turned around in the older vampires arms to bury herself in the comfort she found there.

The two vampires stood there, one comforting the other as the tide broke on the beach below.

Far, far away, wedding bells rang.

_end chapter two_


	3. they are all intertwined

Title: Bonds That Break (3/?)  
Author: Jaycee  
A/N: Just so everyone who's reading this knows, this is based off of the anime, not the manga. Also, I won't be updating for a while, I'm going to be out of town for a couple of months. Sorry.  
See Part 1 for disclaimers

---------

The room was lit only by one candle, flickering in the center of a table in the middle of the room. The walls glistened ever so slightly with moisture, and the dirt floor was hard packed from centuries of feet traveling over it's expanse.

On either side of the candle were two women. Both were pale-skinned and dressed in dark blue robes. Their red eyes glittered in the candlelight. The blonde was nervous, licking her dry lips as she concentrated on what was at hand, while the redhead confidently split her attention between the two.

"Stop trying so hard, Seras," the redhead said with a small smile, flashing a fang for a moment. "You don't need to succeed right away. Take your time, feel the energies flow through you."

Seras simply nodded. She held her hands out over the flame and started to chant.

Slowly, the flame grew stronger. Without breaking her concentration or her chanting, the young vampire took a step back. The flame left the candle and followed her hands, flickering slightly but burning brightly. She stopped, and started to cup her hands around, to hold the fire in her hands instead of in front of her.

Without warning, the light went out.

Seras let out a string of curses as Sheilah re-lit the candle. "Why does it always happen that way? What the bloody hell is wrong with me?"

"Nothing," Sheilah said with a soothing smile as she set the candle back on the table. "Elemental majics are hard to learn. You're doing quite well for how old you are. You have an affinity for it."

Seras leaned against the table and sighed. "You always tell me that, but I always fail. How can I be good at something I'm always failing?"

"Because you have yet to accept two things," the older vampire said. "One, that you can ever be good at anything. Your self-confidence has been shattered for several years, ma chère. It is hard to do something right if you feel you can't do anything right at all."

The blonde blushed as well as a vampire can, but didn't bother to deny it. Whether it had been Hellsing or D11, she'd always felt as if she was never up to snuff. "And the other thing?" she asked somewhat sullenly.

"The other is purely technical. You don't seem to understand that fire majic isn't just about fire - you have to deal with water, earth and wind as well. In truth, there is no fire majic, only elemental. They are all intertwined, and to have one follow your will requires the others to compensate. When you wish to cup the flame in your hands, you are not just moving fire, but displacing wind and water as well."

Seras frowned. "I'm not sure I understand. It's not as if I'm carrying water in my hands when I'm doing this."

The redhead placed her hand on top of Seras'. "It doesn't matter, ma chère. You will understand eventually, and when you do you will master the elements."

"How come I never saw Alucard perform any elemental majics, Sheilah?" Seras asked as she leaned into the older vampire, resting against the sturdy frame.

Sheilah gave a small smile. "Your former master was never very much interested in anything that didn't have to do with immediate power. He is one of the strongest No Life Kings in our world, but he has had to sacrifice the finer details to get there. His command of elemental and blood majics are weak, and as such they are his weakness. Not that the use of such would kill him, but he would be hard-put to adapt."

The redhead pulled the other girl into her arms. "I know you are struggling, sang de mon coeur, but do believe me when I tell you that you are truly skilled in this area. It will take time, but I feel it in my blood that you will grow to master the finer arts of our kinds. I expect nothing less from Alucard's childe."

"How long?" Seras asked, not really expecting an answer.

"It could take you centuries, or it could take you a week. It is never known when a vampire will break the dam in their minds and allow the information that is instinct to flow through them." Sheilah tightened her hold on her student for a moment before letting go. "Now, come. I know you want to conquer this before dawn. I believe you can do it."

The young woman smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," she said, already going over the chants in her mind.

---------

Alucard materialized in the shadows of his Master's office, watching her as he had been wont to do as of late. As usual, she was studying the rose. Ever since her wedding two months ago, she had taken to playing with it in her hands when she had a spare moment or two.

"Tell me, Alucard," she said suddenly, and he grinned at her perception. "It's been two months. Why hasn't it faded?"

He blinked at the question. Leave it to the woman to notice something as pointless as that.

"It has been majicked to stay fresh, I would assume," he responded as he stepped into view, striding towards her desk. He held his hand out for the object.

After a moment's hesitation, Sir Integra handed it to him with care. He prodded the flower with his will as he'd been taught so many centuries ago. It flared in his mind. He held it out to her.

"I was correct," Alucard said, his tone unusually apathetic. "So long as certain conditions are met, it will be as fresh as the day it was spelled."

"Conditions?" Sir Integra asked, frowning slightly, and looked at the rose as if it might bite her all of a sudden.

The vampire chuckled. "No worries, I sensed no dark intent for your life, my Master. It is something along the lines of as long as you keep it. Quite handy, actually - wouldn't want a garbage-man to find a rose that never dies, now would we?"

"Mmm," Sir Integra hummed her agreement, looking mildly satisfied. "But why would she send it to me? We didn't exactly part on the best of terms. And I'm sure you let her know about the silencing order I had placed for a while." She glared at him. "As it's quite obvious you haven't broken ties."

He smiled that grin that he knew annoyed her no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. "We've kept in touch. No, I know she harbors no... ill will against you." He could feel his face practically splitting in two, so hard was it to keep from howling in laughter at how blind his Master was. "Far from it, I'm sure." He levitated the rose to his hand and sniffed it's faint fragrance. "Keep it," he said, letting it drop onto the desk in front of Sir Integra. "Maybe pondering it's mysteries and that of the police-girl's will keep your mind from other... things."

Sir Integra winced faintly as he leered at her and then faded. She knew he was referring to her infantile marriage. Things had not gone as smoothly as she'd hoped. Their wedding night had been an unmitigated disaster, which had left her in her new husband's arms as he tried to soothe her tightly-wound body. She hadn't cried - she had too much dignity and too much understanding of how William would feel to do that. But she had felt violated, and was ashamed to feel that way.

Things had gotten better lately, and she had begun to respond slightly to William's attempts to please her. But the nights where she was too busy working to be in bed left her feeling better the next day than if she had gotten some sleep.

She heaved a sigh and suddenly wished she had a glass of whiskey. She moved the rose off to the side, shuffling the paperwork underneath. She resolutely buried her nose in her work, pushing everything else out of her mind.

_end chapter three_


End file.
